81st AMU wins load crew of the quarter competition

Released by 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs



1/18/2012 - SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Senior Airman Michele Atencio, 81st Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew member, works with Staff Sgt. Michael Elkington, 81st AMU weapons load crew chief, to load a CBU-103 bomb during a load crew of the quarter competition in Hanger 1 here Jan. 13. This 81st AMU team competed against a weapons load crew from the 480th AMU and won the competition. The crew will compete in the 2011 Load Crew of the Year competition against the winners from the previous quarterly competitions. The competitions are held to showcase the teamwork and capabilities of the weapons load crews during wartime, TDYs and deployments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew B. Fredericks) Hi-res



1/18/2012 - SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Staff Sgt. Michael Elkington, 81st Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew chief, reads through a checklist while Staff Sgt. James Clay, 81st AMU weapons load crew member, inspects a CBU-103 bomb to be loaded onto an A-10 Thunderbolt II during a load crew of the quarter competition in Hanger 1 here Jan. 13. This 81st AMU crew competed against a weapons load crew from the 480th AMU and won the competition. The crew will compete in the 2011 Load Crew of the Year competition against the winners from the previous quarterly competitions. The competitions are held to showcase the teamwork and capabilities of the weapons load crews during wartime, TDYs and deployments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew B. Fredericks) Hi-res



1/18/2012 - SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Staff Sgt. Michael Elkington, 81st Aircraft Maintenance Unit weapons load crew chief, prepares an MJ-1 to be driven by Staff Sgt. James Clay, 81st AMU weapons load crew member, during a load crew of the quarter competition in Hanger 1 here Jan. 13. This 81st AMU team competed against a weapons load crew from the 480th AMU and won the competition. The crew will compete in the 2011 Load Crew of the Year competition against the winners from the previous quarterly competitions. The competitions are held to showcase the teamwork and capabilities of the weapons load crews during wartime, TDYs and deployments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew B. Fredericks) Hi-res

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Note: The CBU-103 is a Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD). It's the result of a program to add a tailkit to existing cluster bomb units, such as the CBU-87, CBU-89, and CBU-97. The WCMD tailkit assembly corrects for wind effects and errors during the weapon's ballistic fall, achiving an accuracy of within 30 feet. It is capable of delivery from medium to high altitude, allowing the A-10 to remain at a safer, higher, altitude during weapons delivery. The A-10C is the only A-10 variant to employ WCMDs. Pictured here is a training version. They are marked with the inscription DO NOT FLY - INERT LOAD CREW TRAINING ONLY, shortened LCT - DO NOT FLY on the tailkit.